The Dickinson press., 1887-11-19
THE BRITISH FLEET
LITTLE TO ENCOURAGE FAITH IN
MONSTER ARMoRcLAp SHIPS.

MONSTER ARMoRcLAp SHIPS.
Several Collisions and Many Breakdowns
During the Recent Maneuvers.A Very
Slovenly Performance.vessels Running
Short of ~Coal-Torpedo Boats.
The recent maneuvers Of the British fleet
did little to encourage those who pin their
faith to monster ships and heavy arlnor. In
deed, even the unbelievers in this type were
scarcely prepared for the sorry spectacle pre-
sented by the %mightiest fleet afloat, for i'll the
Irish channel, where Admiral Baird essayed
to defend the shore line against the assault OF
Fitzroy, and again i'll tho English channel
and North sea, when Hewitt sought to pierce
the line of Freemantle, the big ships proved
at best both awkward and uncertain.
There were several collisions and many
brealidowns; III all a dozen ships out of two
score were disabled by their own exertions,
or gave out from lack of coal during the fort
night of evolution. Tho great ships Ajax
and Devastation crashed into each other
carly i'll the day, and it was only by quick
work, and what must be regarded as good
luck, that the latter did not so down. AS
it was, she was badly listed over on to her
side, with her guards under; something heavy
i'll the way of machinery having been sent
adrift below. The Ajax was disabled and
lay like Il dead whale in everybody's way,
and u constant menace to all. The new steel
cruiser Curfew, from which so much was cx-
pected, was so awkward to handle and so
slovenly in Winding her helm that. when tho
report came she had broken down, and
powerful tugs We're sent by Admiral Hewitt
to tow her into port, n sigh of relief must
have gone up among the fleet, for from the
descriptions given Of her movements, she
seems to have been as deadly as all iceberg,
quite as dangerous to friend as enemy, and
required a whole ocean to herself. Then there
was the Colossus, of which so much has been
written-the floating fortress, carrying
enough power to cripple n leetl Unless she
can do better than her recent performance
promises, no fleet need fear her, for, in order
to sustain injury, it would have to come up
and considerably lie to. possessing itself in
patience while the really formidable battery
was trained; for it is said to AVE taken all
hour and thirty minutes to work the Colossus
into position and load, train and fire the after
guns on tho port side. After firing one ground,
the big ship fell back disabled, and lay help.
less i'll the tideway.
Tho Terror might not in%appropriately be
renamed the False Alarm, and the Impe-
rieusc, the Impotent; for the former on two
occasions Numbered down upon the enemy,
and, when at point blank range, was unable
to train her battery till she had passed the
target, having then to run over q circle of q
miles diameter to get around again into posi-,
ton, while the Impcrieuse fell out of line be.
cause running short of %coal-bless the mark
And when again her bunkers were full, she
was so slovenly in n cross sea as to he well
nigh unmanageable.
When. we remember that the rate of speed
Mt which the ships We're working was only
seven knots an hour, and that, notwithstand.
ing they We're within easy reach of a great
coaling station, several Of them ran short of
coal while maneuyering, we cannot help won.
dcring what would happen such a fleet fight.
ing i'll mid ocean! 1t may safely DO said that
if the result of the fortnight's maneuvers is a
fair exponent Of what q feeto of monster ships
are capable of, we need have little fear of
attack by such vessels on this side of the
water. Few of these large ships would carry
anything like enough coal to bring her
across, and those so capable would be COM
PEELED to coal at some station hero before
ready for aggression, or, barring that sup
ply, be unable to get HON again. Hence
blockade or capture Of the coaling stations
would render such n fleet harmless.
1t ought to be said of the officers in COM
mand of this great fleet that they are as ca
pable n lot of men and as able seamen us can
be picked up OIL the ocean. Experienced, too,
they are in all manner Of novel machinery
and war material, used to working modern
ships, and, quite as important, familiar with
the waters they sail i'll. 1t was no fault of
theirs that solne of the monsters they COM
munded carried weather helms with wheels
hard over, OF, as was the case with another,
parted the shaft while trying to work head
up to wind with engines of 5000 horse power.
All attempts to form line of battle, whether
in the form of column, crescent or wedge,
were fairly unavailins from a naval stand
point, because the time occupied was so pro-
longed as to give q quick witted enemy op-
portunity to anticipate the mancuvers and
evade the shock. The big ships OH several
occasions rammed one another while getting
into line, and breakdowns and demands for
assistance marked the most important ma
neuvers. This was no fault of the command
ers, but of the ships being built to carry
great batteries and bear ponderous armor
rather than for seaworthiness and rapid
movement.
The work of the torpedo and torpedo boat,
from which so much is-not unreasonably-
expected i'll future naval wars, seems to have
been purposely underestimate at the maneu.
vers this year, as it was in the French ma.
ncuvers last year, for fear of shaking the
sailors faith in the impregnability of the
ships he sails in.-Scicntific American.